An Honest Little Croc, the Marley Mambo and a Quadruple Win

The children were enthralled. Would Little Croc, in his determination to act with integrity, make it past mean Murdock? The cad wanted to steal the purse that Little Croc was turning in to the police station! And how about those lovely red boots–on special no less–and a cool glass of lemonade on a hot day? Surely he could borrow from the rightful owner . . . or could he? Then there was the panhandler . . . .

I loved reading this book to the children age five and up at our local day care. And perhaps they were as moved as I was near the end of the story when Little Croc gave Murdock his first present ever.

This story lends itself to dramatic reading, and the illustrations are a wonder. With just a few strokes, Lizzie Finlay portrays curiosity, pleasure, menace, effort–and the joy of a well made choice.

And then there was Bad Dog, Marley!, another story that kept the five and overs glued to their seats. Who but they could enjoy a dog drinking from the toilet, doing the Marley Mambo and creating an indoor snowstorm in the living room (think sofa cushions)?

As I explained to the director, I was volunteering to read at the day care to familiarize myself with children’s stories. The more I read published books and watched where the children lit up and where they began to fidget, I reasoned, the more my own writing would improve.

Good thinking. And about 20 seconds into volunteering, I realized the second benefit–pure pleasure.

And now the third benefit–I also hope to build my online presence by blogging about the books and by discussing them on my google+ profile.

Win-win-win-win! (The fourth one is for the kids, who really seem to enjoy the stories.)

“If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.”
Rudyard Kipling
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